Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

We cry out and sing “God bless America” sometimes as if we are the only country who desires God’s blessings as we see blessings.  Many times, even as a child singing the song with my friends in a mighty children’s chorus on special holidays for our nation; I wondered even then if the lyrics were backwards.  Maybe our song should be, “Hey America!  Bless God!”

Let us stand and give God all the blessings of praise, honor, and glory with humbled, grateful hearts because of His gift of salvation, relationship, and restoration through reconciliation with Him!  God saved us from ourselves and our own sins by sacrificing His One and Only Son, Jesus—the One perfect without sin to pay the price and set us free from the payment we owe! Jesus took away the sins of all the world so we could be debt free! We need only to believe that He did! But that’s not all, when the Enemy of God thought he had won when Jesus died; God raised Jesus from death to life in victory on that beautiful, miraculous third day!  Yes, to all who believe—Jesus is not only Savior, He becomes the Lord of all we think, say, and do. That is our prayer.

God promised and He delivered our rescue.  But that’s not all; God reconciled (reconnected) our relationship with our Creator in what Jesus accomplished on our behalf as our Advocate! But that’s not all; God knew, after our forgiveness and restoration, we would need a Helper 24/7.  So, as promised, His Holy Spirit came immediately to take up residence way deep in our souls to be with us always.  Holy Spirit is our guide to Truth as we wade through a world of lies.  God’s Holy Spirit convicts, corrects, comforts, and compels us to keep our feet on a rock-solid foundation of faith in our God/Jesus/Holy Spirit relationship—in our daily prayer of surrender.

The Psalmist sings words of blessings for God. David is well versed through experience and relationship with God which prompts his praises and blessings!  David saw the Lord’s presence on Zion as a blessing first of all to those who were burdened and in danger; just as Jehovah our King bears our burdens and defeats our enemies. Certainly, David saw the Lord win great victories for Israel so his heart, mind, and soul was bent thanksgiving for God!  

David also includes a prophecy of the King, namely Jesus, who will come riding on the clouds in rescue on The Day of His return!  It is easy for us to jump to this foretaste of the glory of Jesus’ return as David describes the Gentile nations submitting to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and bringing Him their worship.  These references help us to understand—

The prophet Isaiah proclaimed; “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord’” (Isaiah 2:2-3)

Later, John, disciple of Jesus, wrote what God enabled him to envision; “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” –Revelation 21:22-27

Imagine the Day when the Gentile nations will join Israel in blessing God by singing praises to the Lord, extolling His majesty and power!

Read, pause, then bless God for all He has done, is doing, and will do in our lives!

Psalm 68, The Message

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

^1-4 Up with God!
    Down with his enemies!
        Adversaries, run for the hills!
Gone like a puff of smoke,
    like a blob of wax in the fire—
        one look at God and the wicked vanish.
When the righteous see God in action
    they’ll laugh, they’ll sing,
        they’ll laugh and sing for joy.
Sing hymns to God;
    all heaven, sing out;
        clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.
Enjoy God,
    cheer when you see him!

^5-6 Father of orphans,
    champion of widows,
        is God in his holy house.
God makes homes for the homeless,
    leads prisoners to freedom,
        but leaves rebels to rot in hell.

^7-10 God, when you took the lead with your people,
    when you marched out into the wild,
Earth shook, sky broke out in a sweat;
    God was on the march.
Even Sinai trembled at the sight of God on the move,
    at the sight of Israel’s God.
You pour out rain in buckets, O God;
    thorn and cactus become an oasis
For your people to camp in and enjoy.
    You set them up in business;
    they went from rags to riches.

^11-14 The Lord gave the word;
    thousands called out the good news:
“Kings of the armies
    are on the run, on the run!”
While housewives, safe and sound back home,
    divide up the plunder,
    the plunder of Canaanite silver and gold.
On that day that Shaddai scattered the kings,
    snow fell on Black Mountain.

^15-16 You huge mountains, Bashan mountains,
    mighty mountains, dragon mountains.
All you mountains not chosen,
    sulk now, and feel sorry for yourselves,
For this is the mountain God has chosen to live on;
    he’ll rule from this mountain forever.

^17-18 The chariots of God, twice ten thousand,
    and thousands more besides,
The Lord in the lead, riding down Sinai—
    straight to the Holy Place!
You climbed to the High Place, captives in tow,
    your arms full of plunder from rebels,
And now you sit there in state,
    God, sovereign God!

^19-23 Blessed be the Lord—
    day after day he carries us along.
He’s our Savior, our God, oh yes!
    He’s God-for-us, he’s God-who-saves-us.
Lord God knows all
    death’s ins and outs.
What’s more, he made heads roll,
    split the skulls of the enemy
As he marched out of heaven,
    saying, “I tied up the Dragon in knots,
    put a muzzle on the Deep Blue Sea.”
You can wade through your enemies’ blood,
    and your dogs taste of your enemies from your boots.

^24-31 See God on parade
    to the sanctuary, my God,
    my King on the march!
Singers out front, the band behind,
    maidens in the middle with castanets.
The whole choir blesses God.
    Like a fountain of praise, Israel blesses God.
Look—little Benjamin’s out
    front and leading
Princes of Judah in their royal robes,
    princes of Zebulun, princes of Naphtali.

Parade your power, O God,
    the power, O God, that made us what we are.
Your temple, High God, is Jerusalem;
    kings bring gifts to you.
Rebuke that old crocodile, Egypt,
    with her herd of wild bulls and calves,
Rapacious in her lust for silver,
    crushing peoples, spoiling for a fight.
Let Egyptian traders bring blue cloth
    and Cush come running to God, her hands outstretched.

^32-34 Sing, O kings of the earth!
    Sing praises to the Lord!
There he is: Sky-Rider,
    striding the ancient skies.
Listen—he’s calling in thunder,
    rumbling, rolling thunder.
Call out “Bravo!” to God,
    the High God of Israel.
His splendor and strength
    rise huge as thunderheads.

³⁵ A terrible beauty, O God,
    streams from your sanctuary.
It’s Israel’s strong God! He gives
    power and might to his people!
O you, his people—bless God!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We sing with glorious thanksgiving as we humbly walk with our Lord God and Savior!

To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
so loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
and opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
and give Him the glory, great things He hath done…

(Composer: Fanny Crosby, 1875)

Lord,

Thank you for your thoughts that will dwell in our hearts all day long from reading Your Word with grateful hearts.  Help us to live Your Word out loud today so others will know and see your glory reflected from our faces!  “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me”…

In Jesus Name, Amen

In the beginning God…God spoke the word that created all we see around us. “Let there be___, and it was!  I read an article recently written by a scientific researcher who stated a “form of sound vibrations” seem to be what prompted creation from the beginning.  This is not surprising to believers, right?! Read in the Word—from the beginning for truth! 

In the beginning was also the Genesis of praise to the God who created all, is in all, and sovereign over all. ALL Creation sings His praise!  “Let the earth rejoice!” writes the Psalmist of praise.  The theme of rejoicing spans several chapters in the Song Book of Psalms. Here is a portion of praise to God;

• Psalm 97:1: “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad;
      let the distant shores rejoice.”
• Psalm 96:9-13: “Worship the Lord in the splendor of his^[a] holiness;
      tremble before him, all the earth.
  Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
      The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
      he will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
    he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.”

God created humans “in His own image” to know Him, love Him back, with expressions of sincere praise and thanksgiving that flow freely from our hearts—a heart like His!  God gave us purpose as His servants to be faithful managers of His creation as caregivers that imitate His generous giving to us!  So, how are we doing?  Are we listening for our cue to love, serve, and worship our Lord with follow through of His purpose?  Are we complainers with the world or contributors of praise to the Creator of the world?

Psalm 65, The Message

^1-2 Silence is praise to you,
    Zion-dwelling God,
And also obedience.
    You hear the prayer in it all.

^2-8 We all arrive at your doorstep sooner
    or later, loaded with guilt,
Our sins too much for us—
    but you get rid of them once and for all.
Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest
    at home in your place!
We expect our fill of good things
    in your house, your heavenly manse.
All your salvation wonders
    are on display in your trophy room.
Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer,
    Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser,
Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash,
    of mobs in noisy riot—
Far and wide they’ll come to a stop,
    they’ll stare in awe, in wonder.
Dawn and dusk take turns
    calling, “Come and worship.”

^9-13 Oh, visit the earth,
    ask her to join the dance!
Deck her out in spring showers,
    fill the God-River with living water.
Paint the wheat fields golden.
    Creation was made for this!
Drench the plowed fields,
    soak the dirt clods
With rainfall as harrow and rake
    bring her to blossom and fruit.
Snow-crown the peaks with splendor,
    scatter rose petals down your paths,
All through the wild meadows, rose petals.
    Set the hills to dancing,
Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,
    a drape of flax across the valleys.
Let them shout, and shout, and shout!
    Oh, oh, let them sing!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

This IS Our Father’s World!  We respond with grateful hearts of praise as we enter his gates with thanksgiving for saving our souls and making us whole by His plan of salvation and removal of sins “as far as the east is from the west”, “to be remembered no more!”  This truth alone is cause to praise to our compassionate, loving, faithful God!

David knows it and cannot help but sing about the fact that God is God and we are not.  God is the One and Only who deserves ALL our praise!

Dawn and dusk take turns calling, “Come and worship.”  What a compelling invitation!  Come, even now to worship for Jesus Christ made it possible to walk boldly into the very throne room of God to give Him praise, thanking Him for all He has so generously provided.

Come and worship—daily!

Lord,

When I pray the prayer of David, “let the morning bring word of your unfailing love” …you never disappoint; you provide exactly what I need with the fullness of your peace, hope, and love that cleanses my heart, renews my mind, refreshes my soul, and restores the joy of your salvation at work in me—so others will know you, too. Thank you, thank you, thank you! There is truly no one like you!  I will worship you all day long and into the night with the prompting dawn and dusk!

In Jesus Name, Amen

We attended a church full of praising people yesterday that included God’s message of who He is, what Jesus did for us, with an emphasis on Who is living in all who believe and call on His name.  The Holy Spirit was the topic of the teaching that reminded all of us that God’s Spirit is real, active, and alive, living  inside each one of us who, like David who seeks the heart of God and longs for His Presence. David songs are prose of praise in good times and in those hideous times of being sought like prey of those who wanted to destroy him.  His faith was tested and tried through the entirety of his life.  But like Job, “yet will I trust Him” was the song he sang the loudest and strongest. 

This psalm is for God and tells God that He is all David needs for all the times in his life.  David’s hunger for God is never fully satisfied until God responds to his cries for help, comfort, insight, wisdom, direction, love, mercy, and grace. And God does respond. The greatest faith statement of truth is what David sings in the last lines of his praise; “I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post.” 

True believers in God hold on to God who never lets go of His hold on us!  God loves us too much to leave us hanging, wondering fearfully in panic.  No, God in his mercy and grace leads us by the power of His Holy Spirit living in us, helping us over every obstacle with each step we take with Him.  But we must follow the light of truth who guides us with each step we take!  It is so freeing to live life in faith over fear, ceasing to worry over that which has not happened and may never happen on the path with God, knowing He is sovereign in directing His will, bringing out the best in and through us! Troubles and obstacles will challenge our foothold but like a loving Father, He will never let go of our hand in His.

Psalm 63, The Message

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

God—you’re my God!
    I can’t get enough of you!
I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
    traveling across dry and weary deserts.

^2-4 So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
    drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
    My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
    My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

^5-8 I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;
    I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!
If I’m sleepless at midnight,
    I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you’ve always stood up for me,
    I’m free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
    and you hold me steady as a post.

^9-11 Those who are out to get me are marked for doom,
    marked for death, bound for hell.
They’ll die violent deaths;
    jackals will tear them limb from limb.
But the king is glad in God;
    his true friends spread the joy,
While small-minded gossips
    are gagged for good.

“To be able to say “my God” by faith transformed David’s wilderness experience into a worship experience. There in the desert, he was hungry and thirsty, but his deepest desires were spiritual, not physical. With his whole being, body and soul, he yearned for God’s satisfying presence. Just as we have physical senses that are satisfied by God’s creation, so we have spiritual senses (Hebrews 5:14) that can be satisfied only by Christ. He is the bread of life (John 6), and He gives us the water of life by His Spirit (John 4:1–14; 7:37–39; Rev. 22:17). Those who hunger and thirst for spiritual food and drink shall be filled (Matthew 5:6).” –Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible

Oh God, you are My God, and I will every praise YOU! Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

In Jesus Name, Amen

From the ends of the earth (ECHO)

From the depths of the sea (ECHO)

From the heights of the heavens (ECHO)

Your name be praised

From the hearts of the weak (ECHO)

From the shouts of the strong (ECHO)

From the lips of all people (ECHO)

This song we raise Lord

Throughout the endless ages

You will be crowned with praises

Lord Most High

Exalted in every nation

Sovereign of all creation

Lord Most High be magnified

Lord,

As we read your Word, we hear the choirs of heaven and earth sing your praises. May YOU alone be glorified and may all ages in all nations bow before you, echo your praises and receive your salvation—the gift that keeps on giving—forever and ever, Amen. Yes, Lord, we praise you; for you alone are worthy of all the praises of your creation!  May the rocks cry, the mountains rejoice, the flowers bend to you with thanksgiving and rivers be a sign of your forever flowing blessings of Life! May all mankind give you praise!

To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Psalm 61, The Message

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

^1-2 God, listen to me shout,
    bend an ear to my prayer.
When I’m far from anywhere,
    down to my last gasp,
I call out, “Guide me
    up High Rock Mountain!”

^3-5 You’ve always given me breathing room,
    a place to get away from it all,
A lifetime pass to your safe-house,
    an open invitation as your guest.
You’ve always taken me seriously, God,
    made me welcome among those who know and love you.

^6-8 Let the days of the king add up
    to years and years of good rule.
Set his throne in the full light of God;
    post Steady Love and Good Faith as lookouts,
And I’ll be the poet who sings your glory—
    and live what I sing every day.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We respond with pure praise for our Lord Almighty who came to save us from our sins, heal our brokenness, making us whole and worthy to walk with our God!

Lord Most High

Exalted in every nation

Sovereign of all creation

Lord Most High be magnified

Psalm 61, NIV  The Echo of praise!

Hear my cry, O God;
    listen to my prayer.

² From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;
    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
³ For you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the foe.

⁴ I long to dwell in your tent forever
    and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
⁵ For you, God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

⁶ Increase the days of the king’s life,
    his years for many generations.
⁷ May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
    appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

⁸ Then I will ever sing in praise of your name
    and fulfill my vows day after day.

Yes, and Amen!

We have all been there and done that.  We have all been tested and tried—not necessarily as hard at the beginning or end but smack dab in the middle of it all.  We respond with either giving up and quitting the battle or we deal with it and merely endured it.  What is “it”?  Our daily skirmishes, small to large battles, living life in an imperfect world where the Enemy works overtime to distract us from God, deceive us about God, deconstruct our faith in God with the ultimate goal to disengage us from God so He can destroy our faith in God.  It seems it is the hardest right in the middle of the battle then our strength is weakening and our resolve is waning.  We grow faint and weary in the war with our Enemy until we realize the war has already been won!  These daily skirmishes are mere distractions the enemy uses so we will look at him and all he throws at us instead of looking up to our Almighty God who as said repeatedly, “You need only to be still, I will fight this battle for you”.  And God’s people respond; “Oh yes, I forgot—faith over fear wins every time!”

“Being still” has to be repeatedly explained in our world of hurry to complete our self-made lists of “to dos”.  We are obsessive at times with accomplishing what we think will make us feel better as we try to make our family and friends feel better, thinking we will make our world better. “It’s all up to us, or the world will come apart at the seams!” we think.  What a lie! That is the talk of the evil one who consistently whispers in our ear that we must push, pull, and drag our way into a world where others are doing the same thing.  We demand our own way so we can “have it all” because we “deserve it all”. (Yes, another lie!) If we are slow to doing what evil suggests then he increases the heat of battle with invading our thought life with how inadequate we are along with getting su to believe we are nothing of value in this world.  How sad when we fall for these repeated lies of evil.

But God says, “Be still and know that I AM God”. These wordscome from the very heart of God to David’s heart in a beautiful song of praise for God.  Be still in the language used in Psalm 46:10 translates to “let go”.  Let go of you and what you want. Be still long enough in my Presence, says God to stop thinking about all that is on your plate because of all that is on your mind and then you can concentrate on knowing who I really am. God desires a forever relationship with His beloved.  We who believe are His beloved, who are cherished, and loved without conditions!

But in the middle of the battle, do we remember who God is and who we are to God?

Psalm 60, The Message

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

^1-2 God! you walked off and left us,
    kicked our defenses to bits
And stomped off angry.
    Come back. Oh please, come back!

You shook earth to the foundations,
    ripped open huge crevasses.
Heal the breaks! Everything’s
    coming apart at the seams.

^3-5 You made your people look doom in the face,
    then gave us cheap wine to drown our troubles.
Then you planted a flag to rally your people,
    an unfurled flag to look to for courage.
Now do something quickly, answer right now,
    so the one you love best is saved.

^6-8 That’s when God spoke in holy splendor,
    “Bursting with joy,
I make a present of Shechem,
    I hand out Succoth Valley as a gift.
Gilead’s in my pocket,
    to say nothing of Manasseh.
Ephraim’s my hard hat,
    Judah my hammer;
Moab’s a scrub bucket,
    I mop the floor with Moab,
Spit on Edom,
    rain fireworks all over Philistia.”

^9-10 Who will take me to the thick of the fight?
    Who’ll show me the road to Edom?
You aren’t giving up on us, are you, God?
    refusing to go out with our troops?

^11-12 Give us help for the hard task;
    human help is worthless.
In God we’ll do our very best;
    he’ll flatten the opposition for good.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

BACKGROUND:  The plural pronouns indicate that David was speaking to the Lord for the Israelites who felt themselves abandoned by God in the middle of the battle against unbelieving nations.

In the middle of the battle who is conquering who? 

Being a man of faith, David didn’t give up but rallied God’s people around the Lord’s banner (v. 4). When the enemy is close to conquering; we read throughout His word, how God sends “cheerleaders” and “coaches” to His people to teach them to remember that God is as One who keeps His promises.  Israel’s God is Jehovah-nissi—which means “the LORD is my banner” (see Exodus 17:15).

David knew that Israel was God’s own people, His beloved people (the name “David” means “beloved”) who feared Him, and that God had covenanted to give them success against their enemies (2 Samuel 7:9–11). In David’s heart, faith was conquering fear.

“Be still and know that I am God” is the best response to have and to hold for when we read the rest of Psalm 46, we are taught that God also says, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” David, man after the heart of God then adds in Psalm 46:11, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”  The battle with evil, our real Enemy, belongs to the Lord. And He will settle it in victory once and for all! —And he did!

Jesus is the reason we live today with faith over fear for He is Life!  Be the one who is God’s blessing to someone today with Truth.

“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” Proverbs 11:25, MSG

Lord,

Thank you for your words of wisdom with reminders once again of who you are with who we are in You.  Cleanse our hearts and remove all that does not belong there. Deliver us from evil in our battles with evil.  Renew our minds with your higher thoughts of Truth. Refresh our souls with your new tender, fresh mercies. Restore the joy and peace of your salvation at work within us as we grow our intimate, loving relationship with you.  To You be all glory, honor, and praise! Forever and ever, Amen!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Our enemies today can rise up anywhere at any time when we least expect it.  As the many followers of Jesus learned, the devil uses people in ways that can fool as they masquerade as God’s people.  But the masquerade is soon found out as evil strikes from behind with gossip, slander, and betrayal.  Most often our enemies are those who befriended us when no one else did and told us whatever we wanted to hear.  But these same people also work in dark corners against us, making false claims about us behind our backs, all to persuade others to do the same. This is evil at work. His methods haven’t changed, therefore Satan is really pretty easy to spot.

Those led and taught by the evil one to be as sly and cunning as he, come forward with smiles on their faces, gifts in their hands, but with evil in their hearts.  It is a foolish way to live for their foolish ways are led by pride, arrogance, and hate, manipulated by the Enemy of God.  With limited power, our Enemy is soon found out for God is always at work for his beloved—not against them. God never sleeps.  God knows what is going on in the hearts of all who follow His Enemy from the beginning of creation.  And for sure, God has not and never will, give up His Sovereignty over all His creation!

We need to remind ourselves that our enemies are not those who personalities grate on our nerves or merely disagree with us on any given subject at hand but still believe in Jesus as their Savior. They, like us, just require extra grace in being with them. 

No, enemies are those who do not like us because we believe, trust, and obey God above all. Enemies are people who are led by evil to take us down by whatever means necessary to distract, deceive, and deconstruct our faith.  These are the people we pray for and ask God to help them see who He so they can be saved from the evil they follow. For our real enemy is the enemy of God—Satan, the fallen angel, kicked out of heaven for wanting to be God and take over.  Truly, the Apostle Paul clarifies who is our real enemy with how to combat Him in Jesus Name;

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”—Paul to the church in Ephesus.  Ephesians 6:10-13 

David is standing on the promises of God to deliver him from the same enemy who has taken over King Saul’s entire being.

Psalm 59, The Message

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.

^1-2 My God! Rescue me from my enemies,
    defend me from these mutineers.
Rescue me from their dirty tricks,
    save me from their hit men.

^3-4 Desperadoes have ganged up on me,
    they’re hiding in ambush for me.
I did nothing to deserve this, God,
    crossed no one, wronged no one.
All the same, they’re after me,
    determined to get me.

^4-5 Wake up and see for yourself! You’re God,
    God-of-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God!
Get on the job and take care of these pagans,
    don’t be soft on these hard cases.

^6-7  They return when the sun goes down,
    They howl like coyotes, ringing the city.
    Then suddenly they’re all at the gate,
    Snarling invective, drawn daggers in their teeth.
    They think they’ll never get caught.

^8-10 But you, God, break out laughing;
    you treat the godless nations like jokes.
Strong God, I’m watching you do it,
    I can always count on you.
God in dependable love shows up on time,
    shows me my enemies in ruin.

^11-13 Don’t make quick work of them, God,
    lest my people forget.
Bring them down in slow motion,
    take them apart piece by piece.
Let all their mean-mouthed arrogance
    catch up with them,
Catch them out and bring them down
    —every muttered curse
    —every barefaced lie.
Finish them off in fine style!
    Finish them off for good!
Then all the world will see
    that God rules well in Jacob,
    everywhere that God’s in charge.

^14-15     They return when the sun goes down,
    They howl like coyotes, ringing the city.
    They scavenge for bones,
    And bite the hand that feeds them.

^16-17 And me? I’m singing your prowess,
    shouting at dawn your largesse,
For you’ve been a safe place for me,
    a good place to hide.
Strong God, I’m watching you do it,
    I can always count on you—
    God, my dependable love.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Do we have the faith of David who knows God will deliver us from evil always!  David goes to God because he counts on God!  David knows where real strength is found—only in his Almighty God who overcomes all evil who is lying in wait to destroy him, for evil has already taken over the mind of King Saul!

Confident David sings songs of praise while God does all the heavy lifting of fighting his battles against evil!

How confident are we in our daily encounters with evil?

Let’s trust God.  If you need more proven truth, read His Word provided for us for God’s Word does not contradict itself. We can depend on God for He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). And because He is the Lord, he “will be the sure foundation for our times” says the prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah 33:6).

Therefore, stand firm on the foundation laid before us by Jesus Christ our Lord whom God sent to remove the sins of the world for all who believe Him with the bonus of eternal life!  (John 3:16)  Evil, who lies in wait for us, only offers death.  Jesus is Life!

Choose wisely, this day, who you will follow, adore, love, listen to, trust, and obey for this is a matter of life or death.

Lord,

Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for fighting this battle of evil against me as you deliver me from evil’s schemes. Thank you for the foundation upon which to stand firm in Truth—who is You.  And when it gets hard, thank you for giving all the power and strength needed to stand firm still and be still before you, our Overcomer of evil.

In Jesus Name, Amen